Looking For Proper Substrate

[confusion]

I want to create the carpet or lawn look in two of my tanks, and I'm looking at microswords or dwarf hairgrass. I have normal small diameter aquarium gravel as a substrate currently. I have searched through the forum and it sounds like they need some different type of substrate, but I haven't found what that is.

I have about 3wpg in each tank and I've recently started adding CO2, so that should be good. I've been using the flurish root tabs, but I'm about to switch to the greg watson dry chemicals for ferilizer.

Thanks

 

[Underwurlde]

If you are adding Primary, Secondary and Trace Ferts directly to the water column then no need for fancy substrates really. The plant will take everything it needs right at the place it need it, i.e. the leaves.

I could be wrong though....

Andy

 

[JamesC]

If CO2 is good and you are dosing EI then you can get away with a fine gravel/quartz sand substrate. This is all I use and have both dwarf hairgrass and Echinodorus Angustifolius growing like mad.

James

 

[plantbrain]

I'd suggest using the sand you have and dose the water column, if you want tio improve thinmgs some, vacuum the substrate you have now, allow the water in the bucket to settle, then add the "mulm" dirt on the bottom back on the bottom of the tank and add the new substrate on top of that.

That adds precisely what's missing from a new substrate.

I'd suggest ADA aqua soil, medium size Amazonia, that works very well, nice look, decent cost etc.
Flourite is decent if you do lots of moving or plants around etc.

Regards,
Tom Barr